File-case.



No. 69!,628. Patented Ian. 2!, I902. Y J. A. HOFFMAN &-W-. R. MAGIE.

FILE GASE.

(Application filed-Aug. 18, 1901.)

(.No Model.)

lNrrnD STATES ATENT Farce.

JACOB A. HOFFMAN AND WILBER B. MAGIE, OF PAULDING, OHIO; SAID MAGIE ASSIGNOR TO SAID HOFFMAN..

FILE-CASE.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 691,628, dated January 21, 1902.

Application filed August 13, 1901. Serial No. '71 ,9'72. (No model.)

To all whom it may concern.-

Be it known that we, J ACOB A. HOFFMAN and WILBERR. MAGIE, citizens of the United States, residing at Paulding,in the county of Paulding and State of Ohio, have invented new and useful Improvements in File-Cases, of which the following is a specification.

Our invention relates to improvements in cases for holding files and the like, and contemplates the provision in such a case of a compartment and a partition adjustable in said compartment so as to accommodate itself to the size of the files or envelops which it is employed to divide from other matter in the compartment this with a view of securing perfect economy of compartment-space.

The invention also contemplates the provision of an adjustable partition adapted to secure itself against casual movement between the upper and lower walls of a casecompartment and also adapted to accommodate itself to compartments the upper and lower walls of which are arranged at various distances apart; and it further contemplates providing the partition with means for holding an index-card indicative of the nature of the contents of the files or envelops at one side of the partition, said card being adjustable with the partition.

With the foregoing in mind the invention will be fully understood from the following description and claims, when taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings, in which- Figure l is a transverse section of a case embodying our invention, taken in a plane at one side of the partition. Fig. 2 isa broken front elevation of the case, and Fig. 3 is an enlarged perspective view of the index-card holder removed from the upper end of the 4 partition.

In the said drawings similar letters of reference designate corresponding parts in all of the views, referring to which- A is a case having acompartment B, which by preference extends throughout its width and has lower and upper walls a I), provided adjacent to their forward edges with longitudinal grooves c d, respectively.

' C is a strip which is connected to and extends upwardly from the rear edge of the the said flange.

lower wall a and has for its purpose to form a stop for the files, envelops, or the like, so as to insure the forward ends of the same resting even, and D is our improved partition for dividing files, envelops, or the like containi ng matter of a certain class from other matter in the compartment.

The partition in the preferred embodiment of the invention is formed of spring-wire bent, as shown in Fig. 1, to form the superposed oppositely-directed loops 6, and contition tends,as stated, to secure the same in position between the walls of the compartment, we prefer as a means of additional security to employ the grooves c d and the metallic strips f g, the latter being soldered or otherwise connected to the lower and upper ends, respectively, of the springand provided with angular branches h, disposed in the grooves, so as to hold the partition against casual forward or backward displacement in the compartment.

wardly-extending forward portion t, and this forward portion has its upper edge bent forwardly and downwardly to form a flange j and also has a rest It struck from it at about the proportional distance illustrated below The flange and rest are designed to receive an index-card between them and hold the same, and the said card, which is lettered Z, has for its purpose to indicate the contents of the files or envelops at one side of the partition. I

It will be readily appreciated from the foregoing that the partition D is readily adjustable lengthwise of the compartment B, between the lower and upper walls thereof, and consequently may be accommodated to the size of the files-or envelops which it is employed to divide from other matter in the compartment, with the result that a perfect economy of the space of the compartment is secured. It will also be observed that by vir- In addition to the angular branch h. the upper strip g is provided with an uptoe of the partition being formed of springwire and provided with the strips having angular branches or tongues arranged to coact with the grooves in the compartment the partition, notwithstanding the ease with which it may be adjusted, is not liable to casual movement or displacement, and it will further be observed that the spring-partition is susceptible of being expanded and contracted to adapt it to compartments of various heights and may therefore be used in a compartment of an old cabinet when the lower and upper walls of said compartment are grooved.

The card 1 furnishes an index to the envelops or files at one side of the partition, and when a number of partitions are employed in a single compartment of a case, as may obviously be done, the indexes will be arranged to read from left to right, and when more than one compartment is comprised in the case from top to bottom, in the usual manner. \Vhen desired, the files or envelops may be tabulated or numbered to assist in classifying their contents.

Notwithstanding its advantages,as pointed out in the foregoing, it will be observed that our improved case is very simple and inexpensive and at the same time durable, and it will also be observed that the partitions D are susceptible of being placed on the market as articles of manufacture and used in conjunction with the compartments of old cases or shelf-frames, it being simply necessary in order to adapt the walls or shelves of such old devices for use in connection with the parti tions to groove the same, as indicated by c and (Z.

We have entered into a detailed description of the construction and relative arrangement of parts embraced in the present and preferred embodiment of ourinvention in order to impart a full, clear, and exact understanding of the same. We do not desire, however, to be understood as confining ourselves to such specific construction and arrangement 1. In a file case or holder, the combination of walls arranged a suitable distance apart and forming a compartment, and an adjustable partition formed of spring material and having the alternate, oppositely directed loops; the said partition being interposed between the walls, and adapted to bind against the same and thereby secure itself against casual movement or displacement.

2. In a file case or holder, the combination of lower and upper walls having longitudinal grooves in their contiguous sides, and an adjustable partition interposed between the walls; the said partition being formed of spring-wire, and having the superposed, 0ppositely directed loops, and also having tongues at its ends seated in the grooves of the walls.

3. In a file case or holder, the combination of lower and upper walls havinglongitudinal grooves in their contiguous sides adjacent to their forward edges, and an adjustable partition interposed between the walls; the said partition being formed of spring-Wire, and having the superposed, oppositely-directed loops, and tongues at its opposite ends seated in the grooves of the walls, and also having a holder at one end for the reception of an index-card.

4. In the file case or holder described, the combination of lower and upper walls having longitudinal grooves in their contiguous sides adjacent to their forward edges, and an adjustable partition interposed between the walls; the said partition being formed of spring-wire bent into superposed, oppositelydirected loops, and having the strip at one end provided with a tongue disposed in the groove in one wall, and also having the strip at its opposite end provided with a tongue disposed in the groove of the other wall, and also provided with the angularly-disposedportion, and the flange and rest thereon for the reception of an index-card.

In testimony whereof we have hereunto set our hands in presence of two subscribing witof parts, as such changes or modifications may be made in practice as fairly fall within the i scope of our claims.

Having described our invention, what we claim, and desire to secure by Letters Patent, 1s-

i SPRIGGS. 

